<s>
Apple	B-Operating_System
Podcasts	I-Operating_System
(	O
known	O
as	O
simply	O
Podcasts	B-Operating_System
in	O
Apple	O
operating	O
systems	O
)	O
is	O
an	O
audio	O
streaming	O
service	O
and	O
media	O
player	O
application	O
developed	O
by	O
Apple	O
Inc	O
.	O
for	O
playing	O
podcasts	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apple	O
began	O
supporting	O
podcasts	B-Operating_System
with	O
iTunes	B-Operating_System
4.9	O
released	O
in	O
June	O
2005	O
and	O
launched	O
its	O
first	O
standalone	O
mobile	O
app	O
in	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
app	O
was	O
later	O
pre-installed	O
with	O
iOS	B-Application
beginning	O
October	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Apple	B-Operating_System
Podcasts	I-Operating_System
directory	O
features	O
more	O
than	O
two	O
million	O
shows	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apple	B-Operating_System
Podcasts	I-Operating_System
is	O
available	O
on	O
iOS	B-Application
,	O
iPadOS	B-Operating_System
,	O
macOS	B-Application
,	O
watchOS	B-Device
,	O
tvOS	B-Operating_System
,	O
CarPlay	B-General_Concept
,	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
operating	I-Application
systems	I-Application
,	O
and	O
on	O
Amazon	B-Application
Alexa	I-Application
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apple	O
was	O
an	O
early	O
promoter	O
of	O
podcasts	B-Operating_System
(	O
the	O
term	O
is	O
a	O
portmanteau	O
of	O
Apple	O
's	O
iPod	B-Operating_System
music	B-Operating_System
player	O
and	O
"	O
broadcast	B-Operating_System
"	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
added	O
playback	O
functionality	O
to	O
iTunes	B-Operating_System
4.9	O
released	O
in	O
June	O
2005	O
and	O
built	O
a	O
directory	O
of	O
shows	O
in	O
its	O
iTunes	B-Operating_System
Music	B-Operating_System
Store	O
,	O
starting	O
with	O
3,000	O
entries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2020	O
,	O
Apple	B-Operating_System
Podcasts	I-Operating_System
surpassed	O
one	O
million	O
shows	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2021	O
,	O
Apple	O
launched	O
the	O
option	O
for	O
podcast	B-Operating_System
creators	O
to	O
implement	O
paid	O
subscriptions	O
through	O
podcast	B-Operating_System
channels	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apple	B-Operating_System
Podcasts	I-Operating_System
had	O
an	O
estimated	O
28	O
million	O
U.S.	O
monthly	O
listeners	O
and	O
23.8	O
%	O
market	O
share	O
in	O
March	O
2021	O
,	O
the	O
first	O
month	O
it	O
fell	O
behind	O
Spotify	B-Application
Podcasts	B-Operating_System
as	O
the	O
top	O
podcasting	O
platform	O
in	O
the	O
U.S.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
standalone	O
Apple	B-Operating_System
Podcasts	I-Operating_System
app	O
was	O
announced	O
at	O
the	O
2012	O
Worldwide	O
Developers	O
Conference	O
as	O
a	O
feature	O
of	O
iOS	B-Operating_System
6	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apple	O
released	O
the	O
app	O
early	O
on	O
the	O
App	B-Application
Store	I-Application
on	O
June	O
26	O
,	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
adds	O
a	O
new	O
"	O
stations	O
"	O
feature	O
for	O
discovering	O
new	O
podcasts	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
a	O
standard	O
app	O
on	O
CarPlay	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
standalone	O
Apple	B-Operating_System
Podcasts	I-Operating_System
app	O
was	O
brought	O
to	O
2nd	O
and	O
3rd	O
generation	O
Apple	B-Operating_System
TVs	I-Operating_System
on	O
September	O
24	O
,	O
2012	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
Software	O
6.0	O
update	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
tvOS-based	O
4th	O
generation	O
Apple	B-Operating_System
TV	I-Operating_System
launched	O
in	O
October	O
2015	O
without	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
play	O
podcasts	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
despite	O
a	O
Podcasts	B-Operating_System
icon	O
appearing	O
on	O
the	O
home	O
screen	O
in	O
commercials	O
,	O
in-store	O
demo	O
loops	O
,	O
and	O
developer	O
documentation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apple	B-Operating_System
Podcasts	I-Operating_System
was	O
added	O
with	O
tvOS	O
9.1.1	O
released	O
on	O
January	O
26	O
,	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apple	B-Operating_System
Podcasts	I-Operating_System
was	O
added	O
to	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
Watch	I-Device
with	O
watchOS	B-Device
5	O
on	O
September	O
17	O
,	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apple	B-Operating_System
Podcasts	I-Operating_System
for	O
macOS	B-Application
and	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
was	O
initially	O
available	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
iTunes	B-Operating_System
app	O
,	O
which	O
added	O
support	O
for	O
podcasts	B-Operating_System
in	O
version	O
4.9	O
in	O
June	O
2005	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apple	O
announced	O
at	O
WWDC	O
2019	O
that	O
iTunes	B-Operating_System
for	O
macOS	B-Application
would	O
be	O
split	O
and	O
replaced	O
by	O
the	O
Music	B-Operating_System
,	O
TV	B-Operating_System
and	O
Podcasts	B-Operating_System
apps	O
with	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
macOS	B-Device
Catalina	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apple	B-Operating_System
Podcasts	I-Operating_System
remains	O
available	O
through	O
iTunes	B-Operating_System
on	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apple	O
's	O
HomePod	B-Device
family	O
supports	O
Podcasts	B-Operating_System
using	O
a	O
voice	B-Application
user	I-Application
interface	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Support	O
for	O
Apple	B-Operating_System
Podcasts	I-Operating_System
was	O
added	O
to	O
the	O
Amazon	B-Device
Echo	I-Device
line	O
in	O
December	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Critical	O
reviews	O
of	O
the	O
Apple	B-Operating_System
Podcasts	I-Operating_System
app	O
have	O
generally	O
been	O
mixed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2012	O
,	O
Engadget	B-Application
stated	O
it	O
"	O
offers	O
an	O
opportunity	O
to	O
break	O
through	O
the	O
clutter	O
of	O
iTunes	B-Operating_System
"	O
.	O
</s>
